Bafana Bafana suffered defeat in their first group A match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 against co-hosts Mexico, with Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez getting the goals at Mexico City Stadium.
The result leaves the 2010 hosts at the bottom of the group, following Korea Republic’s 2-1 comeback win over the Czech Republic in the other group match.
Mexico and Korea sit jointly in command on three points, though El Tri has a better goal difference compared to the Asians.
In a post-match interview, South Africa’s captain and goalkeeper, Ronwen Williams, said the team was punished by the mistakes made at the back.
He also noted the long absence from the global showpiece exposed the competition gap between them and Mexico.
“If you make mistakes, they will punish you. They will hurt you at this level,” Williams said.
“We haven’t been part of the World Cup for a very long time. Went down, but we kept fighting. We didn’t give them anything towards the end. We had a few decent chances as well. We’ll keep fighting, we’ll keep going as a team, and we’ll be better.”
Meanwhile, Mexican winger Julian Quinones attributed the win to team unity and the home support.
“I’m happy and excited to score my first World Cup goal in such a spectacular stadium with amazing fans. It’s important for me to acknowledge what my team-mates did to secure the first three points. We’ve felt the support of the fans these past few days” he stated.
Bafana Bafana will now shift attention to their second group match against Czech Republic at Atlanta Stadium on 18 June, while Mexico will face Korea Republic.
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